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Kate's first clue that something had changed was the smell. When she had shimmied in through the apartment window something had seemed...different. Everything seemed a little neater. It smelled clean and not the "clean" smell that came in a cartridge you plugged in. Though Clint Barton wasn't the worst housekeeper in the world the place had always had the scent of bachelorhood: a slight aroma of leftover pizza and sweat socks. The cardboard Jenga tower of pizza boxes, unsorted mail, and nonperishables that never seemed to find their way into the cupboard were all absent. Kate walked around and inspected for clues to what was going on in the life of the unluckiest Avenger. A scratch at the door interrupted her thoughts. She rushed to unlock the door and Lucky wandered inside immediately in search of his bed.
She resumed her investigation in the kitchen, opening cupboards and the fridge. Peering inside the surprisingly clean appliance revealed a variety of food..suspiciously healthy food. Barton also appeared to have acquired a full set of matching plates and silverware. Previously there had been a drawer with an odd assortment of cutlery in varying styles, knives, forks and spoons mingling in a drawer of anarchy. Then her eyes came to rest on the stove. A kettle rested innocuously on the back burner. Her eyes narrowed, He'd let a girlfriend move in. A glance back at the living room revealed a slipcover over the sofa..which Lucky seemed to be acquainting himself with in the absence of his bed.
Kate momentarily considered taking her sleuthing upstairs but figured she would leave him some semblance of privacy. Besides, she knew what kind of haphazard crime scene his bedroom could look like when he was in the throes of a new love affair. Judging by the rest of the apartment it would probably be neat, the bed made, maybe a dust ruffle fitted to the box spring but who knew what else would be left in plain view. She shuddered in revulsion. He never was one for the demure ladies. There was no need to peer into the bathroom cupboards for curling irons, tampons or other irrefutable proof a woman had taken up residence. She was pretty sure the slipcover and the two toss pillows were just as damning evidence. Now, she would wait. Kate scratched Lucky behind the ears as she switched on the television. She was behind an entire season on Dog Cops and this was as good a time as any to catch up.
It was an hour later, when she leafed through the neatly piled magazines that it became clear. Halfway through the stack she found an issue of Guns and Ammo which raised her suspicions, and directly below it was a fashion magazine..in Russian. She dropped the offending periodical in shock. There was no way he had managed to go down this road again. There was no way he would look at everything he had been through and say "Sure, start screwing the Black Widow again, that sounds like a great idea."
Who was she kidding? Barton would have no problem convincing himself getting back together with Natasha Romanoff was a great idea. The bigger question was how he had coaxed the deadly redhead back into his bedroom. Redheads..wasn't that woman with the car a redhead? That man had a problem.
Kate had never felt like an intruder in Clint's home, but Natasha was a much more private person. She bit her lip, mulling over the idea of making a slightly less surprising return to the life of the senior Hawkeye. Before she had the chance, she heard a thud against the door. Then there was a jingling of keys and some murmuring as the lock turned.
Kate winced as the two Avengers spilled into the apartment in a tangle of limbs. A smiling Natasha appeared to be trying to keep some appearance of restraint but Clint, no matter what his age, turned into a lovesick teenager around her. The Black Widow noticed Kate right away while Clint still had his face nuzzled into her neck. Before there could be an awkward moment between the two women Lucky barked and Clint's head shot up. His eyes sized up Kate but immediately were drawn to the dog rushing excitedly towards him.
"Kate! Lucky! You're back!" There was a slight slur to his voice. Clint fell to his knees and immediately hugged his dog.
"We were out celebrating with Thor..he's had a few."
Natasha's expression was still pleasant and slightly amused. Lucky and Clint seemed equally glad to see one another. Kate was sure if Clint had a tail it would be wagging just as furiously as Lucky's.
"So, Little Hawkeye, how have you been?" Natasha asked.
Kate was relieved that the older woman appeared to be accepting of her presence. The reunion went far better than Kate had imagined it would. She was expecting the dark, sullen Clint Barton she had left nearly a year before. She was terrified at what she might find. She had expected empty bottles as far as the eye could see, holes in the walls, or at least arrows impaled in places arrows should not be. Guilt had been eating away at her belly for the last month and it was that disturbing feeling that brought her back.
Natasha put the inebriated Clint to bed but she had insisted that Kate stay overnight. It wasn't that unusual, She had stayed on the couch before. This time she would have a real down pillow and a blanket. There were some perks to the taming of the Hawk. As Natasha dropped the bedding onto the sofa she sat down next to Kate. She had been dreading this. There would be new rules and when she could and couldn't stop by and most of all the question of how could just leave him?
"I know why you had to leave, Kate." Natasha said quietly.
"Oh." This was news to Kate who had wrestled with the why for many a night in L.A.
"When Clint gets that way it's maddening. He's on this self destructive guilt trip where he forgets when he saved the world and focuses on every casualty caught in the crossfire, every misstep, every consequence whether or not it was foreseeable."
"I couldn't watch anymore."
"I know. You didn't have to. He came to me after you were gone. Well, he reached out to me after Bobbie started hanging up on him. He was so lost and upset."
"Is this the part where you let him in to the Avengers Mansion, held him while he cried, then fixed everything with some Russian secret spy sexual healing?"
Natasha snorted.
"No, I told him to his shit together and to stop acting like such a goddamn martyr and act like a fucking Avenger."
Kate thought this over.
"Is that all he needed? A kick in the pants?"
"No, I'm afraid not. I checked on him after a few days. The bottles hadn't completely taken over the counter yet. I stuck around the apartment and helped him out. He's..he's a good man. He needs a certain amount of sympathy and motivation. It wasn't overnight. He needed a friend and you were gone. The tenants didn't know how to deal with him. I talked to him. I let him know I was there for him but only if he was going to work through things, not wallow in self pity. He really missed that dog."
"The dog missed him too," Kate replied quietly. She was speaking for more than just Lucky at that point.
"You've been really good for Clint, Kate. I'm glad you're back. Now he will have someone to talk to about that stupid dog police show."
"Well, not EVERYONE can appreciate Dog Cops." She smiled wistfully at Natasha. Kate was still concerned though. "So, you're going to stick around this time, right? Even though I'm back? You aren't just going to leave him?"
"Kate, a lot happened to bring me here. I truly came to him strictly as a friend...but over the last few months...we aren't going to live forever. Part of me has always loved Clint, but we were lovers before we trusted each other. We made a lot of stupid mistakes when we were young...he was practically your age and not nearly as mature. It's different this time."
"Thanks for looking out for him," Kate said.
"He's always done the same for me." Natasha took her leave then. Young Hawkeye arranged herself on the couch and felt the peace of being home again.
Natasha entered the bedroom to a glassy eyed but conscious Clint Barton.
"You two have a good talk?" he asked.
"Yes, we did," she answered shedding her clothes and climbing into bed.
"GREAT. Time to cel-eb-rate," he said drawing out the word as he buried his face in her neck.
"Not with Hawk Junior here. Go to sleep, Clint."
"Aw, Tasha," he murmured into her shoulder as he curled around her. There was a jingle and a dip of the mattress as Lucky curled up on his feet. Natasha didn't even try to kick the dog off. Clint Barton drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face. Things were definitely looking up.